For a Healthy, Beautiful Smile
Keep Your Teeth Clean
Quick Cleaning
After you finish eating or drinking, clean you teeth as soon as practical by brushing or at least rinsing vigorously with water. Don't leave food hanging around in your mouth for hours to stain and weaken your teeth and feed the bacteria.
Thorough Cleaning
At least once a day, preferably in the evening, after your last meal, do a thorough cleaning.
Rinse your toothbrush with water to cleanse and soften the bristles.
Brush your teeth to dislodge debris between your braces. Rinse. If you have a lot of debris, you're not doing a good job with your quick cleaning.
Apply some toothpaste and brush your teeth thoroughly. Around the braces, angle the brush and approach from above and below the braces. Work the bristles under the brackets and the wire, to clean the teeth.
When you flip the toothbrush to go from one side to the other, resume from the middle so that you don't miss the canine area.
Check in the mirror, especially the area between the brackets and the gum.
If you have a removable appliance, now is a good time to clean it with your toothbrush and water.
During treatment, you may develop spaces between your teeth that trap food and cannot be cleaned easily. Use an interdental brush to clean those areas. Be gentle to your gum. If there is resistance, use a smaller brush or switch to floss.
The spaces should eventually disappear. If they persist towards the end of treatment, tell us. Unfortunately, some older patients may develop spaces between their teeth that will not close (see Adult Extraction Case).
You need:
- Toothpaste
- Toothbrush with soft bristles
- Floss
- Floss Threader
- Antibacterial Mouthwash
- Mirror to check
Maybe:
- Interdental Brush
- Cotton Swab
- Oral Irrigator
Signs of Trouble
Pull the floss through the loop of the floss threader until the ends of the floss are even. Don't remove the floss from the threader until you're done. It's easier.
Approaching from the gum, introduce the tip of the threader under the wire and pull the floss through. Then guide the floss between the teeth using a back and forth motion until it reaches the triangular area between the teeth and gum, where there is usually a small space.
Gently slide the floss between the tooth and the gum on one side. Then press the floss against the tooth and wipe the tooth like you would wipe a dish. Start cleaning on the return stroke. Continue cleaning by moving the floss up and down a couple of more times. Then do the other side.
The floss should slide smoothly. If there is any ruggedness or if the floss gets shredded or stuck, there is something wrong. Tell us.
If you have some light stains, you can use the handle of a cotton swab. Make sure that the handle is made of rolled paper and not wood or plastic. Break it in half, and use the broken end of the handle to remove stains. A little toothpaste helps.
Rinsing is easy and very beneficial. Just rinse with your favorite antibacterial mouthwash.
Oral Irrigator
If you cannot floss, or if you have interdental spaces and other areas that are hard to clean, you may want to consider using an oral irrigator.
Bleeding
There should be no bleeding, unless you haven't been taking good care of your teeth. If the bleeding persists, note the location and tell us. It may be due to a weak contact between teeth that allows food to get jammed, or it may be due to a structural problem that may or may not be correctable.
Professional Cleaning
No cleaning regimen is complete without a periodic visit to your general dentist for a professional cleaning and a check-up. When you make the appointment, call us to arrange to have your wires removed.
